PJC nominees for student award, plus graduation week activities

The 2015 Distinguished Service Award nominees; the winner will be announced during Paris Junior College Commencement at 7:00 p.m., May 15, 2015 in Noyes Stadium if it’s dry and the Hunt Center if it’s rainy.

Nominees for the highest student award at Paris Junior College have been selected, just ahead of one of PJC’s busiest weeks in the year. The winner will be announced during commencement ceremonies at Noyes Stadium at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 15. The 2015 Master Teacher will also be announced during the ceremony.

Five outstanding sophomores have been nominated for the Distinguished Service Award this year. They include Stephanie Bradford of Sulphur Springs, Jeramy Howell of Ladonia, Lauren Jeans of Paris, Taylor McCloure of Pattonville, and Nathan Slinkard of Greenville.

Stephanie Bradford is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and serves as vice-president for the Blend Club. She recently represented the Sulphur Springs Center at Community College Day in Austin and tutors in all disciplines. She is a first generation college student and her activities include the Boys and Girls Club and the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta.

Bradford has been nominated to Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges and was a nominee for 2015 Miss PJC. She is the recipient of writing and Spanish awards through the Swingers of Birches Creative Writing Awards and is a published author of two books. She will continue her education at LeTourneau University on a full scholarship pursuing her degree in English. She would like to become an author.

Jeramy Howell has served as Vice President and President of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and as a member of the Student Government Association. He was recently elected SGA Region III Vice President, as well as selected for the 2015 All Texas Academic Team for Phi Theta Kappa and is a Distinguished Member of Beta Zeta. He represented PJC at Community College Day in Austin, the Student Government Association State Convention, and the Phi Theta Kappa International and State Convention.

Howell was also named to the Dean’s List, the President’s List and was nominated to Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges. His activities include being a volunteer fireman for the Ladonia Volunteer Fire Department, a 2015 Mr. PJC nominee, Fannin County CERT, and working as a library aide. He has been accepted to the University of Texas at Austin and will pursue his degree in political science and public administration. He would like to work in higher education.

Lauren Jeans is president of the Student Government Association, a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, was a nominee for Homecoming queen fall 2014 and for Miss PJC this spring. She has been named to the President’s Honor list and Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges.

Her activities include volunteering for Buddy Baseball, the Paris Pregnancy Care Center, and CASA for Kids, Toys for Tots, and the Angel Tree. Lauren plans to attend Texas A&M - Commerce to continue her degree in education.

Taylor McCloure is the 2014-2015 editor of the PJC student newspaper, “The Bat,” as well as serving as a staff writer. She was an instructor for the PJC Kid’s College during the summer of 2014. She is a work-study student, member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, and a Student Government Association member.

McCloure was a 2015 Miss PJC nominee and named the 2014-2015 Journalism Student of the Year. She was also named to the Dean’s List, the President’s List and was nominated to Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges. She plans to attend Midwestern State University pursuing her degree in mass communications and hopes to work in publication design.

Nathan Slinkard is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, has been named to the President’s Honor List and recently represented PJC at Community College Day in Austin, Texas. He is the recipient of the Coca Cola Leaders of Promise scholarship and is a member of the 2015 All-Texas Academic Team of Phi Theta Kappa.

Slinkard volunteers for F.I.S.H, the Food Bank of Hunt County, Dallas Life, a homeless shelter and soup kitchen, the Toys for Tots food drive, the Boys and Girls Club, and the Spirit of Giving program to give away blankets and pillows to the needy. He plans to attend Stephen F. Austin University pursuing a degree in nutrition, wanting to become a registered dietitian.

The announcement of DSA nominees always precedes one of the busiest weeks of the year at PJC. Next week several pinning, recognition and graduation ceremonies will be held.

The PJC Adult Education department will hold a GED Graduation on Tuesday, May 12, at 7 p.m. in the Hunt Center.

Thursday, May 14 has several events beginning with the Jewelry Recognition Ceremony in the Ray Karrer Theater at 10 a.m. The speaker will be Scott Bradford, a custom jewelry designer and head of the CAD Department at Bishop Jewelry Manufacturing. A past student at PJC’s Texas Institute of Jewelry Design, he has used 3D printers to make his own custom pieces and helped large companies solve casting issues with their 3D printed resins for the purpose of writing instruction manuals.

Also on May 14, a pinning ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. for those receiving certificates in Surgical Technology and Medical Records Coding in the Workforce Training Center, Room 1202. At 5 p.m., Associate Degree Nursing holds a pinning ceremony at Paris Junior High School’s Weger Auditorium, and at 7 p.m. Vocational Nursing awards pins at the PJC Hunt Center.

PJC Commencement caps the week on Friday at 7 p.m. at Noyes Stadium if the weather is clear or in the Hunt Center if it is rainy. Graduates are expected to line up starting at 6 p.m. in the Rheudasil Learning Center.